Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the preliminary findings of the ELSA Study that screens children for Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is guided by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. It is only where the committee is confident that screening would provide more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended, as all medical interventions carry an inherent risk.
The UK NSC is aware of the ELSA study and looks forward to receiving the results of this study when the trial is complete.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help improve cross-government coordination to counter hostile state narratives promoted through domestic voices.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Defending Democracy Taskforce has a mandate to drive forward a whole-government response to the full range of threats to our democracy, including foreign information operations.
This response includes the Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan, which I announced in the House in November.
Coordinated by the Cabinet Office with the support of Departments across Whitehall, this plan is designed to disrupt the ecosystem of proxy organisations and individuals used by foreign states to facilitate interference.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for his Department of the report by Resilience & Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published on 14 January 2026.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 January in response to Question 105450.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place within the Church of England.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The Archbishops’ Council, as part of the National Church Institutions, is responsible for overseeing the work of the National Safeguarding Team (NST).
The NST continues to strengthen safeguarding across the Church of England at all levels. All national safeguarding policies have been comprehensively revised over the past five years and are now legally enforceable Codes of Practice, supported by detailed good practice guidance covering all aspects of church safeguarding.
An extensive training programme is being delivered: in 2025, over 65,000 individuals completed the Basic Safeguarding Module, and over 35,000 people undertook domestic abuse training.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support regional and local media.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Supporting and sustaining local and regional media across the country is a particular concern for this Government, including in Tewkesbury and more broadly across Gloucestershire. The Government understands the important work that local and regional media do, including outlets such as Gloucestershire Live and the Cotswold Journal. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story. The overarching goal of the Strategy is to empower communities through a thriving local media which reflects the issues that matter to them, helping to drive community wellbeing and local growth.
We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. DCMS ministers held a roundtable discussion with local news editors last year to discuss the planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has been meeting regularly since June to consider the issues in more detail. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioner, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the communication of the outcomes of Clergy Disciplinary Measures of the Church of England within the Church.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The National Church Institutions are in the final process of updating the Clergy Discipline Measure. The Legislative Committee of the General Synod will ask Members of the General Synod at its sitting in February 2026 to give their final approval to one minor change requested by the Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament
Until the General Synod and Parliament approve the new Measure and it receives Royal Assent, the law relating to the current operation of the Clergy Discipline Measure is outlined as below:
The Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 (“the Measure”) and the Clergy Discipline Rules 2005 (“the Rules”)
provide for a statutory framework to investigate allegations of misconduct committed by clergy, and to enable formal disciplinary proceedings brought under the Measure to be dealt with justly, in a way that is both fair to all relevant interested persons and proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the issues raised
The general position is that any hearing brought under the Measure is heard in private, although there is discretion for the tribunal or court to direct that a hearing shall be in public, if it is satisfied that it is in the interests of justice so to do or where the respondent requests that the hearing should be in public
However, under the Rules, once a decision in relation to misconduct is reached by the panel, the pronouncement of any decision is to be in public, and a copy of the tribunal’s written decision is sent to the relevant bishop, as well as the complainant, the respondent, the registrar, and the provincial registrar
Where misconduct is proved, and a penalty is to be imposed, the Rules also make it clear that the pronouncement of any penalty is to be in public, and, as with the written decision in relation to misconduct, the decision to impose a penalty or penalties is also recorded in writing, and a copy of the written decision is sent to the relevant bishop, as well as the complainant, the respondent, the registrar, and the provincial registrar
In relation to wider communication or publication, once a written decision (in relation to misconduct or in relation to a penalty) is handed down by the Chair or panel, the Office of the President of Tribunals arranges for the written decision to be published on the Church of England website (in the section: About / Governance / Legal Resources / Clergy Discipline)
Further communication thereafter remains at the discretion of the Diocese or parties as to whether they issue a press release to communicate the outcome more widely. There are no mandatory requirements under the Measure or the Rules for wider communication of outcomes.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle gaps in public knowledge on the origins of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to support civic education initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience to foreign propaganda.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps to the Government plans to engage civil society on strengthening trusted information ecosystems.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Making information ecosystems stronger requires collaboration between Government, industry and civil society. Last year, Ofcom established the Online Information Advisory Committee, bringing together civil society and industry to build a deeper understanding of challenges relating to the online information environment, including suggesting options to tackle mis- and disinformation.
DSIT’s media literacy work supports people to navigate online systems safely. We are improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government delivery and collaboration with Ofcom and civil society. Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom also have a media literacy strategy, which prioritises work with civil society and communities to build online resilience.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC Board on ensuring that it continues to report on local and regional stories of interest.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Chair to discuss a wide range of issues.
The Government is currently undertaking a review of the BBC’s Royal Charter. The Green Paper sets out our ambition for the BBC to tell a unifying national story that represents all communities across the UK, and to ensure the BBC provides locally relevant services as it supports the delivery of high quality local journalism.